Sewage disposal apparatus



M. B, TARK SEWAGE DISPOSALYAPPARATUS March 15, 1932.

I Original Filed March 50. 192

M. B. TARK SEWAGE DISPOSAL APPARATUS March 15, 1932.

Original Filed March so. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet M. B. TARK SEWAGE DISPOSAL APPARATUS. v

3 Sheets-Sheet Original Filed March 50. 1921 yaw Z w ya Reissued Mar. 15, 1932 Re. ease UNITED STATES PATENT QFFICE] MARCUS IB. TAKE, PHILADELPHIA, I'ENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO BELT COH- IEANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS SEWAGE DISPOSAL APPARATUS Original No. 1,714,739, dated May 28, 1929, Serial No. 179,631, filed March 30, 1927. Application for reissue filed April 3,1931 Serial No. 527,565.

This invention relates primarily to improvements; in sewage disposal apparatus, although it may find other useful applications in processes involving separation of plurahty of longitudinal sections, three in solid matter from liquids.

The principal object of the invention is to provide novel means for collecting and removing from settling tanks and the like the precipitated sediment and sludge, the invention further residing in certain novel structural details of the collecting mechanism and of the tanks in which they are used.

In the attached drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of apparatus made the tank uprights are provide to support 95 1 in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 22, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a. transverse section'on the line 33, Fig. 1; and

1- 4, Fig. 1.

With reference to the drawings, I have illustrated one unit of a series or bank of settling tanks of a type adapted for use in sewage disposal systems. These units may be built separately, or in an' inte ral structure with like units, as in the case i lustrated.

In accordance with my invention, each of the tank units comprises slud e-collecting 0 mechanism preferably indepen ently operable, as hereinafter set forth.

In the embodiment illustrated, the tank unit comprises a main chamber 1 having at one end a hopper 2 which extends below the floor surface of the major portion of the tank, as clearly illustrated in Fig.2. This hopper 2 extends transversely completely across the width of the tank, and as shown in Fig. 4, has at one enda depression or sub-hopper 3. At the hopper, end of the tank is an influent channel 4 which discharges through a port 5 and over a weir 6 into the main tank 1 directly over the hopper 2. At the opposite end of the tank is an efiiuent channel 7 into which 4 the liquid from the tank 1 discharges over a weir 8. Preferably the weirs 6 and 8 are Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the line width of the tank unit.

of an endless conveyer constituted by two trough 11 and 12 are located immediatel in back of the eiiiuent channel 7 as shown 1; in Figs. land 2. Each of the tank units is divided into a a the present instance, by means of a partitioningwall or walls 13, whichas shown in Fig. 3 project only slightly above the bottom of: the main portion of the tank and are tapered at the top to divert the settling solids to the collectorshereinafter describedat the 0pposite sides thereof. From the partitioning walls uprights 14 rise to support the beams 9 arid 11, and at the rear or ho per end of a platform 16 at the top, and it will be noted that the longitudinal partitions and the uprights 15 stop at the outer side of the hopper 2, leaving the hopper. entirely unobstructed throughout its length and over the entire 9 In each of the longitudinal compartments formed by the partitioning walls 13, I pro vide a sludge collector which takes the form in strands of chain 17which operate on sprockets 18 on a head shaft 19 mounted on the platform 16, a foot shaft 20 which is suitably ournaledat the forward lower corner of the tank, and a turn shaft 21. The chains 17 in .their lower run pass close above the bottom of the tank, and in their upper run are supported by apair of rails 22 supported by transverse cross bars 23 mounted on the tops of the partitioning walls 13. The rails 22 may be channeled to receive the strands of chain; The two strands, of chain are joinedtogether by means of cross beams or flights 24 which project outwardly from the chain and which in the lower' run-of the conveyor engage and sweep the bottom of the main portion of the tank, as indicated in Fig. 2. As shown in Fig. 3, the flights 24 extend substantially the entire width of the longi-' tudinal' compartments formed by the walls 13-. The chains travel in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, and in the lower run the flights 24 function to sweep the precipitated sediment or sludge from the bottom of the main tank into the hopper 2.

Within the hopper 2 I provide a conveyer or. collector similar to that described, this conveyer comprising two endless strands of chain 26 which operate longitudinally of the hopper, or transversely of the tank, on

, sprockets 27, these sprockets being carried gitudinally of the tank units.

by a head shaft 28, a foot shaft 29 and upper and lower turn shafts 30 and 31. The chain-s 26 are connected by transverse bars or flights 32 which project outwardly from the chains and which in the lower run of the conveyer' engage and sweep the bottom of the hopper. In the upper run the chains are supported. by a plurality of idler sprockets.

As shown in Fig. 2 the flights 32 correspond in length with the width of the bottom of the hopper so that they may function to sweep the precipitated sediment and sludge from the bottom of the main section of the hopper into the sub-hopper 3. Pipes 33 extend downwardly to the bottoms of the hoppers 3, and these pipes communicate with pipes 34: which pass through the rear wall of the tank ,and are operatively connected with suitable pumping apparatus 34. By this, or other suitable means, the sludge may be withdrawn from the sub-tanks 3 in which it is collected by the apparatus described above. A

The sludge collectors operating in the main tank and in the hopper are driven through a prime mover in the form in the present instance of an electric motor 35 which is connected through suitable reduction gearing with a shaft 36 extending lon- This shaft is connected with the shafts 19 through sprockets 37 and 38, and sprocket chains 39, and with the shaft 28 through bevel gears 40 and 41. It will be noted that the shafts 19 are independent of each other, and eaehof the sprockets 38 is connected with the shaft 36 through a clutch 42 which permits individual and separate operation of any one or all of the collectors in the main tank. Also the gear .41 is normally connected with the shaft 36 through a clutch 43 by means of which the operation of the hopper collector is sepa rately controllable. Where more than one tank unit is employed, the shaft 36 may be extended, as indicated in Fig. 1, the entire I length of the bank of units, which provides for operation of the collectors of the entire apparatus from a single prime mover.

I claim: v V

1. In sewage disposal apparatus, a settling tank having a cross hopper in the bottom,

conveyers including flights operative res tively to swee the bottom surfaces of tank and of the hopper, the walls of tank and hopper being so formed as to confine the entire mass of settled sediment within the areas swept by said flights, and means for actuatingthe conveyers to successively .re-

move the entire mass of sediment into and to concentrate the said mass at one end of the hopper? 2. In sewage disposal apparatus, tank having partitions dividing the of said tank into a plurality of compartsettled sediment within the areas swept by said flights, and means for actuating the conveyers to successively remove the entire mass of sediment from the compartments into; the hopper and to concentrate said mass at one end of said hopper.

3. In sewage disposal apparatus, a settling tank having a cross hopper in the bottom, a sump in the bottom of said cross hopper, conveyors including flights operative respective ly to sweep the bottom surfaces of the tank and of thehopper, the walls of said tank and hopper being so formed as to confine the entire mass of'settled sediment within the areas swept by said flights, means for actuating the conveyers to successively remove the entire mass of sediment into the hopper and to concentrate the said mass in the sump, and means for removing-the said sediment from the sump 4. In sewage disposal apparatus, a settling tank having partitions dividing the bottom thereof into a plurality of compartments, said partitions being entirely submerged when the liquid content of the tank is at normal level, ahopper in the bottom of said tank common to all of said compartinents, a sump in the bottom of said hopper, conveyers including flights operative respectively to sweep the bottom surfaces of said compartments and of the hopper, the walls of said tank, hopper and partitions being so formed as to confine the entire mass of settled sediment within the areas swept by said flights, means actuating the conveyors to successively remove the entire mass of sediment from said compartments into the hopper and fromthe hopper into the sump, and means for removing the sediment from the sump.

MARCUS B. TARK. 

